Here is what we would like everyone to consider doing:
Take 5 minutes to think deliberately about how important this upcoming election is. Think about American democracy, the pandemic, the climate catastrophe, wealth inequality, racial injustice, mass incarceration and the militirization of our police and everything else about our country that is in desperate need of improvement.
Take 5 minutes to think about what resources you have to offer. How much money do you have? What’s your annual income and your net worth? How much free time to do you have? How many friends and family do you have?
Take 5 minutes to think about what you should contribute to the cause of winning this election and saving the world. What can you spare? Think about what you could contribute without endangering you and your family’s security. As a starting point, think about 1% of your time, annual income or net worth. Think about the diminishing marginal utility of money, and how, at a certain point, the best way to purchase happiness is by giving money to others in a meaningful way.
Make a commitment to contribute a specific amount of something: time and/or money.
Make a commitment to write emails to, or make calls to a specific number of people that you know and care about, to start a conversation with them about contributing to this election.
Write down your commitments in the form of a number. Consider sharing your commitment(s) with one or two of your best friends, as this will increase the likelihood you’ll follow through, and encourage them to contribute as well.
Fulfill your commitments:
Contribute Money - This one’s pretty easy. Do it now, your money will be more useful now rather than later. You might consider donating to Swing Left, Movement Voter Project, Move On, Joe Biden and the DNC/DSCC/DCCC, Black Voters Matter, The Sunrise Movement... or any organization of your choosing. There are limits to how much you can donate to specific organizations, but for many organizations there is no limit. See below for more information about these specific groups.
Contribute Your Time - Be smart and prioritize the most impactful actions. For most people, we believe Activating Your Network is going to be the most impactful action you can take. After that, it depends on your location. Swing Left can help you find actions based on your location. There are a bunch of other guides to taking action in this election, here’s a good example. If you’re not in a swing state, you can always write letters to likely Democratic voters in swing states with Vote Forward.
Activate Your Network - Write individual emails or make calls to all the people you know and care about. Ask them if they are fired up. Ask them if they are contributing. Ask them if they are activating their own networks. Encourage them. Give a little push but don’t be too pushy. A lot of people are overwhelmed right now, so be understanding of anyone who doesn’t want to contribute. Move on to the next person. You’re trying to connect with the people who are worried about this election, they want to contribute, but they need a little more motivation or direction. There are a lot of people like that, and I bet you know a lot of them.
Swing Left is a progressive political group in the United States that was created following the election of Donald Trump in 2016. The group was founded to create an easier way for Democrats to volunteer in their nearest swing district. If you donate money to Swing Left they will try to direct your donation to the elections where it will have the most impact, focusing on districts that have multiple critical elections and campaigns that have not attracted a lot of money yet. They direct the donations they receive primarily towards candidates, but they also fund some organizations that are working to win this election for Democrats.
Movement Voter Project is an organization that works to identify and raise money for the best and most promising local community-based organizations in the states and districts that will be most important in this election, with a focus on groups that are driven by youth and communities of color. In this way, MVP is doing work to win this election, and every future election, by building political power and capacity among people who have traditionally not had much power in American politics.
Move On is a progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee that has been around since 1998. Move On has been a leader in modern, progressive, political mobilization for over two decades, and pioneered many of the current tactics used to organize and empower progressive citizens in the digital age.
Black Voters Matter is an organization whose goal is to increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities. BVM is not primarily an electoral organization. They are first and foremost, a power building organization, and while they believe that voting and electoral organizing is one way to build power, it is by no means the only way. Nevertheless, we believe that supporting BVM will help Democrats win this election, and future elections, and is also a good way to contribute toward overcoming racial injustice in America.
The Sunrise Movement is a youth-driven movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process, by enacting a Green New Deal. Sunrise is well aware that a Green New Deal is only possible if Republicans are replaced with Democrats so they are currently focusing all of their energy on the 2020 election.
Joe Biden is a good man who has dedicated his life to public service. Initially, we were not very enthusiastic about his candidacy. To be honest, we were not particularly excited when he won the nomination. But maybe, in a way, that’s a good thing. Donald Trump has been a very exciting president. Exciting isn’t always good. Also, Joe Biden’s personal story, defined as it is by loss and public service, provides a very stark contrast to Donald Trump’s story of privilege, greed, and the worshiping of “winning”. Tragedy, grief, and loss are important elements of the human experience, elements that Joe is intimately familiar with.Many of us are dealing with these things right now. I am excited and enthusiastic to elect a president who can console, who can soothe, who has the wisdom that can only be gained through loss.
The Democrats are not perfect. No politician or political party is perfect. But America is a two-party system and Donald Trump has taken the Republican Party completely off the rails, which means we have to support Democrats with everything we can muster. The only alternative to electing Democrats is electing Donald Trump and Republicans, which is a death sentence for American democracy and the fate of the world. The advantage of donating to the DNC/DSCC/DCCC, is that the money will be allocated strategically, hopefully targeting the races that will benefit the most.